Review of Paris Je T'aime (2006) by Johnny T — 21 Feb 2012

Anthology films usually work better in theory than execution, but this feature parade of shorts is a blithe, worldly, and enchanting exception. The best segments are as good as film gets; the losers can make you wince. On the whole, the good outweigh the bad and make the film feel like a minivacation in the City of Light. The best episodes have the emotional resonance of full-length features, and yet I didn't want them to be a moment longer than they are. For directors and actors who usually work on projects that take years to develop and months to film, this must have been a really fun lark. For the viewer, it's a full cinematic feast. The result is that after two hours one gets the sense of having seen a panorama of human experience, of having witnessed a moment of time in all its true fullness. It's hard not to love Paris, Je t'Aime. A valentine to the planet's most romantic city, this delightful anthology of 18 short films. Eighteen short films by an international who's-who of filmmakers make up this omnibus celebrating the joys and sorrows of love and Paris, organized by neighborhood.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).